Podcasts about strong museum

Bob talks about the protesting grad students disrupting the U of R graduation, the Strong Museum losing two federal grants, Bob takes a call, and talks to Congresswoman Claudia Tenney about her letter to the DOJ about New York gun laws.

Bob talks about a slashing in the city, the Strong Museum loosing federal money, TikTok, the bomb threat at FLCC, Putin not meeting Zelinskyy in Turkey, Bob takes a call, and talks about interim RCSD superintendent Demario Strickland taking a new job down state.

Tim Boehlert, Atari's WCI Labs Division   Tim Boehlert began at Atari in 1982. He worked at WCI Labs, the New York Atari subsidiary, where he worked on the broadboard of the 600XL, robotics projects, and mass storage devices.   This interview took place on June 4, 2022.   Video version of this interview   ANTIC Interview 65 - Steve Mayer, 400/800 Designer   ANTIC Interview 332 - Mike Matthews, Alien Group Voice Box   ANTIC Interview 383 - Gregg Squires, Atari Manager of Hardware Engineering   Strong Museum of Play   Support Kay's interview on Patreon

My Little Pony is being inducted into The National Toy Hall of Fame, along with Transformers and the card game Phase 10. Chris Bensch, chief curator at The Strong Museum of Play, explains why these vintage toys have had such a lasting influence. 

AP correspondent Shelley Adler reports on the trio of toys honored this year at the Strong Museum of Play.

Have you ever played with a Magic 8-Ball? They're black and white toy balls – but with a twist! People ask the Magic 8-Ball a question, shake it, and it gives you an answer!   How do these toys work? And when were they invented?  We asked Chris Bensch, head curator of the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY to help us out. Got a question that you're toying with?  Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we'll shake up an answer.

They say that boys never grow up, they just get bigger toys.  They also say that guys of a certain age never grow up and may or may not still have lots of the old toys they played with before they grew older. At the very least, they remember them fondly.   And that's the subject of today's episode: the Toy Hall of Fame inductees at the Strong Museum in Rochester, NY.  The nominees and past inductees run the gamut, from sticks and cardboard boxes to Dungeons & Dragons, and everything in between.  The only surprises may be the toys that haven't yet made the cut.  In the Geeks of the Week segment, DC features strongly in this one, with the debut of the Christopher Reeves documentary and Batman's newest accolade on the eve of yet another National Batman Day.   This episode was not recorded on an iPhone, but Robbie tells of a movie coming to theaters that was filmed with one.  Or maybe more than one.  Pretend to pop a bowl of popcorn with the 2023 hall of fame inductee, the Fisher Price rolling corn popper - or have your kid roll it around while you listen under a 2011 winner, the blanket.    

Bob talks about a broken window at the Strong Museum, Bob takes calls, reads his column, talks about the Salesforce outage talks about the NY retirement ranking, a possible Boeing strike and carnies.

Bob talks about calories, the Trump contempt of court, the Locust Club statement on Doorley, a broken back window in a RPD car, the Strong Museum closing their Wegmans for renovations, the Virginia Lt. Governor, Nicholas Noll and scooters in the city.

ANTIC Episode 107 - 4 Times! In this episode of ANTIC The Atari 8-Bit Computer Podcast…we realize there are 4 times as many interview episodes as regular episodes and what that might say, Kay visits the Strong Museum, Randy attends the Indy Classic Expo, and Brad drools over a keyboard for the 400 Mini… READY! Recurring Links  Floppy Days Podcast  AtariArchives.org  AtariMagazines.com  Kay's Book “Terrible Nerd”  New Atari books scans at archive.org  ANTIC feedback at AtariAge  Atari interview discussion thread on AtariAge  Interview index: here  ANTIC Facebook Page  AHCS  Eaten By a Grue  Next Without For  Links for Items Mentioned in Show: What we've been up to Strong Museum - https://www.museumofplay.org/  Atari BASIC Tutorial book - https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-atari-basic-tutorial  Indy Classic Expo, April 16 & 17 - http://indyclassic.org  80-column card for 1090XL - Brian Reifsnyder - https://www.tindie.com/products/5cfab/80-column-rpp-board-for-the-atari-1090xl1091xl/  Disk archiving setup, using FujiNet - new project by Randy at Jason Moore's Atari Projects - https://atariprojects.org/2024/04/06/archive-atari-8-bit-computer-disks-from-a-real-floppy-to-a-virtual-disk-using-fujinet-15-30-minutes/  News Andy Diller's tnfs server for FujiNet - tnfs.Atari8bit.net or FujiNet.Atari8bit.net  Other FujiNet goodness from Andy - https://atari8bit.net/projects/software/fujinet-server-status/  Tim Lapetino Interview - https://www.creativebloq.com/features/atari-creative-director-tim-lapetino-interview  BASIC 10-Liner Contest winners announced! - https://www.homeputerium.de/  Vitoco has bundled Atari 8 Bit computer games competing in the BASIC 10 Liners Contest 2024 into a single disk - https://www.vitoco.cl/atari/10liner/NOMAM2024.atr  New Game! Missile Command Arcade (VBXE) - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/365388-new-game-missile-command-arcade-vbxe/  VCF East update by Thom Cherryhomes - https://www.facebook.com/groups/atari8bitcomputers/permalink/7361112970592812/  FujiNet RAPID #6 from Andy Diller - https://www.atariorbit.org/rapid/  Atari XF 351 floppy drive clone - https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/64292  Atari 8-bit machines comparison table - MrFish - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/289798-atari-8-bit-machines-comparison-table/?do=findComment&comment=5453949  keyboard for the 400Mini - ScreamingAtTheRadio - https://forums.atariage.com/topic/363964-i-made-a-keyboard-for-my-400mini/  RastaConverter - Jakub "Ilmenit" Dębski: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/200118-images-generated-by-rastaconverter/  https://www.atariteca.net.pe/2024/04/rastaconverter-beta-9-renuevan-el.html  PAS 6502 - added Atari 8-bit support - https://syntaxerrorsoftware.itch.io/pas6502/devlog/717309/new-machine-support-and-some-fixes  Upcoming Shows VCF Southwest - June 14-16, 2024 - Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center at UT Dallas - https://www.vcfsw.org/  Boatfest Retro Computer Expo - June 14-16 - Hurricane, WV - http://boatfest.info  Southern Fried Gaming Expo and VCF Southeast - July 19-21,  2024 - Atlanta, GA - https://gameatl.com/  KansasFest, the largest and longest running annual Apple II conference - July 16-21 (in-person), July 27-28 (virtual) - University of Illinois in Springfield, IL - https://www.kansasfest.org/  Fujiama - July 23-28 - Lengenfeld, Germany - http://atarixle.ddns.net/fuji/2024/   Vintage Computer Festival West - August 2-3 - Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA - https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-west/  Silly Venture SE (Summer Edition) - Aug. 15-18 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-se   VCF Midwest - September 7-8 - Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL - http://vcfmw.org/   Portland Retro Gaming Expo - September 27-29, 2024 - Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR - https://retrogamingexpo.com/  Silly Venture WE (Winter Edition) - Dec. 5-8 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-we   YouTube Videos Let's install a monitor jack and upgrade the RAM on a US Atari 600XL - FlashJazzCat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyWtzC96kZo  Simius Sophia 2 : Atari 800XL Install - Vintage Gaming Memories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOD4ifpz0S8  https://thebrewingacademy.com/collections/atari-800-xl-xe-xel-xld/products/sophia-2-dvi-output-gtia-replacement  ATARI XL / XE += GUNNER =+ BASIC 10LINER CONTEST 2024 - Atari 8 Bits For Ever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR2RkDt__3s  Atari XL/XE -=Tetris=- BASIC 10 Liner Contest 2024 - Saberman RetroNews - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjh_k55Hjeo  Every Atari 8-Bit Game in the BASIC 10 Liner Contest 2024 - ZeroPage Homebrew - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaBBVvFsBX8  New at Archive.org  https://archive.org/details/computer-shopper-november-1986-vol-6-num-11-atari-articles  https://archive.org/details/computer-shopper-september-1986-vol-6-num-9-atari-articles https://archive.org/details/solo-flight-microprose

Hot off of last week's debut, Evil Uno and CHUGS hit the ground running with another jam-packed episode! On the menu this week: Elden Ring's latest expansion "Shadow of the Erdtree" is two months away, so the boys share their experiences revisiting the game and getting sweaty with magic builds. We also get into our favorite announcements coming out of the recent Nintendo World Indie Showcase, Golden Axe animated comedy news, Fallout franchise crushing player counts, Hades 2 technical test, FF16 vs FF7 Rebirth, breaking down the most popular Fortnite skins, and the main event... Chugs and Uno go head-to-head with their top picks of the 12 finalists from The Strong Museum's "2024 World Video Game Hall of Fame". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2024 finalists for the Strong Museum's Video Game Hall of Fame have been announced, highlighting another selection of influential titles from across multiple eras. This week, we're taking a break from the doom and gloom of recent video game headlines to play Keep It or Kill It with the 40 games that have been voted into the Hall of Fame since inductions began in 2015.We'll also be talking about how Sony has stopped producing PSVR2 amid a “surplus” of unsold units, how Epic Games' Fortnite will now allow creators to build and profit from their own "official" Lego Islands games, and how LinkedIn is planning to add gaming to its platform.We love our sponsors! Please help us support those who support us!- Check out the Retro Game Club Podcast at linktr.ee/retrogameclub- Connect with CafeBTW at linktr.ee/cafebtw- Visit A Gamer Looks At 40 at linktr.ee/agamerlooksat40Hosts: donniegretro, retrogamebrews, wrytersviewOpening theme: "Gamers Week Theme" by Akseli TakanenPatron theme: "Chiptune Boss" by donniegretroClosing theme: "Gamers Week Full-Length Theme" by Akseli TakanenSupport the show

Joe and Tony take a look at the latest nominees to the Strong Museum's gaming hall of fame! And they do it without ever mentioning the word "PORNTIPSGUZZARDO," which shows remarkable restraint. Also in this episode... – FOREVER OVER 9000: Remembering Akira Toriyama. – BATTLEDUMP: The Star Wars remake is on fire, in a bad way. – AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code! – PLUS: Unicorn Overlord, Balatro, Tomb Raider! This podcast is mixed by Joe Fourhman and includes Joe Haygood, Tony Sadowski, Joe Fourhman and Kat Riley on vocals. You can download the podcast directly from here or click on one of the links below to subscribe. This episode features “Arcade Puzzler,” “Arcade Heroes,” and “Coin Op Chaos” by Eric Matyas, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.soundimage.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Jeremy Saucier is Assistant VP at The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.Jeremy talks to us about the history and evolution of the Strong Museum and its pedagogical remit - from American history and Industrialisation to a focus on play - and gives us a fascinating insight into the day-to-day management of a museum. With a doctoral degree in history and a degree in American Studies, Jeremy was a natural fit for his role at The Strong, with its extensive archive of original material, from concept art and design documents to internal company memos from Video Arcade stalwarts such as Williams, Bally and most notably Atari.

Sara is a team lead at thoughtbot. She talks about her experience as a professor at Kanazawa Technical College, giant LAN parties in Rochester, transitioning from Java to Ruby, shining a light on maintainers, and her closing thoughts on RubyConf. Recorded at RubyConf 2023 in San Diego. -- A few topics covered: Being an Assistant Arofessor in Kanazawa Teaching naming, formatting, and style Differences between students in Japan vs US Technical terms and programming resources in Japanese LAN parties at Rochester Transitioning from Java to Ruby Consulting The forgotten maintainer RubyConf Other links Sara's mastodon thoughtbot This Week in Open Source testdouble Ruby Central Scholars and Guides Program City Museum Japan International College of Technology Kanazawa RubyKaigi Applying mruby to World-first Small SAR Satellite (Japanese lightning talk) (mruby in space) Rochester Rochester Institute of Technology Electronic Gaming Society Tora-con Strong National Museum of Play Transcript You can help correct transcripts on GitHub. [00:00:00] Jeremy: I'm here at RubyConf, San Diego, with Sara Jackson, thank you for joining me today. [00:00:05] Sara: Thank you for having me. Happy to be here. [00:00:07] Jeremy: Sara right now you're working at, ThoughtBot, as a, as a Ruby developer, is that right? [00:00:12] Sara: Yes, that is correct. Teaching in Japan [00:00:14] Jeremy: But I think before we kind of talk about that, I mean, we're at a Ruby conference, but something that I, I saw, on your LinkedIn that I thought was really interesting was that you were teaching, I think, programming in. Kanazawa, for a couple years. [00:00:26] Sara: Yeah, that's right. So for those that don't know, Kanazawa is a city on the west coast of Japan. If you draw kind of a horizontal line across Japan from Tokyo, it's, it's pretty much right there on the west coast. I was an associate professor in the Global Information and Management major, which is basically computer science or software development. (laughs) Yep. [00:00:55] Jeremy: Couldn't tell from the title. [00:00:56] Sara: You couldn't. No.. so there I was teaching classes for a bunch of different languages and concepts from Java to Python to Unix and Bash scripting, just kind of all over. [00:01:16] Jeremy: And did you plan the curriculum yourself, or did they have anything for you? [00:01:21] Sara: It depended on the class that I was teaching. So some of them, I was the head teacher. In that case, I would be planning the class myself, the... lectures the assignments and grading them, et cetera. if I was assisting on a class, then usually it would, I would be doing grading and then helping in the class. Most of the classes were, uh, started with a lecture and then. Followed up with a lab immediately after, in person. [00:01:54] Jeremy: And I think you went to, is it University of Rochester? [00:01:58] Sara: Uh, close. Uh, Rochester Institute of Technology. So, same city. Yeah. [00:02:03] Jeremy: And so, you were studying computer science there, is that right? [00:02:07] Sara: I, I studied computer science there, but I got a minor in Japanese language. and that's how, that's kind of my origin story of then teaching in Kanazawa. Because Rochester is actually the sister city with Kanazawa. And RIT has a study abroad program for Japanese learning students to go study at KIT, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, in Kanazawa, do a six week kind of immersive program. And KIT just so happens to be under the same board as the school that I went to teach at. [00:02:46] Jeremy: it's great that you can make that connection and get that opportunity, yeah. [00:02:49] Sara: Absolutely. Networking! [00:02:52] Jeremy: And so, like, as a student in Rochester, you got to see how, I suppose, computer science education was there. How did that compare when you went over to Kanazawa? [00:03:02] Sara: I had a lot of freedom with my curriculum, so I was able to actually lean on some of the things that I learned, some of the, the way that the courses were structured that I took, I remember as a freshman in 2006, one of the first courses that we took, involved, learning Unix, learning the command line, things like that. I was able to look up some of the assignments and some of the information from that course that I took to inform then my curriculum for my course, [00:03:36] Jeremy: That's awesome. Yeah. and I guess you probably also remember how you felt as a student, so you know like what worked and maybe what didn't. [00:03:43] Sara: Absolutely. And I was able to lean on that experience as well as knowing. What's important and what, as a student, I didn't think was important. Naming, formatting, and style [00:03:56] Jeremy: So what were some examples of things that were important and some that weren't? [00:04:01] Sara: Mm hmm. For Java in particular, you don't need any white space between any of your characters, but formatting and following the general Guidelines of style makes your code so much easier to read. It's one of those things that you kind of have to drill into your head through muscle memory. And I also tried to pass that on to my students, in their assignments that it's. It's not just to make it look pretty. It's not just because I'm a mean teacher. It is truly valuable for future developers that will end up reading your code. [00:04:39] Jeremy: Yeah, I remember when I went through school. The intro professor, they would actually, they would print out our code and they would mark it up with red pen, basically like a writing assignment and it would be like a bad variable name and like, white space shouldn't be here, stuff like that. And, it seems kind of funny now, but, it actually makes it makes a lot of sense. [00:04:59] Sara: I did that. [00:04:59] Jeremy: Oh, nice. [00:05:00] Sara: I did that for my students. They were not happy about it. (laughs) [00:05:04] Jeremy: Yeah, at that time they're like, why are you like being so picky, right? [00:05:08] Sara: Exactly. But I, I think back to my student, my experience as a student. in some of the classes I've taken, not even necessarily computer related, the teachers that were the sticklers, those lessons stuck the most for me. I hated it at the time. I learned a lot. [00:05:26] Jeremy: Yeah, yeah. so I guess that's an example of things that, that, that matter. The, the aesthetics or the visual part for understanding. What are some things that they were teaching that you thought like, Oh, maybe this isn't so important. [00:05:40] Sara: Hmm. Pause for effect. (laughs) So I think that there wasn't necessarily Any particular class or topic that I didn't feel was as valuable, but there was some things that I thought were valuable that weren't emphasized very well. One of the things that I feel very strongly about, and I'm sure those of you out there can agree. in RubyWorld, that naming is important. The naming of your variables is valuable. It's useful to have something that's understood. and there were some other teachers that I worked with that didn't care so much in their assignments. And maybe the labs that they assigned had less than useful names for things. And that was kind of a disappointment for me. [00:06:34] Jeremy: Yeah, because I think it's maybe hard to teach, a student because a lot of times you are writing these short term assignments and you have it pass the test or do the thing and then you never look at it again. [00:06:49] Sara: Exactly. [00:06:50] Jeremy: So you don't, you don't feel that pain. Yeah, [00:06:53] Sara: Mm hmm. But it's like when you're learning a new spoken language, getting the foundations correct is super valuable. [00:07:05] Jeremy: Absolutely. Yeah. And so I guess when you were teaching in Kanazawa, was there anything you did in particular to emphasize, you know, these names really matter because otherwise you or other people are not going to understand what you were trying to do here? [00:07:22] Sara: Mm hmm. When I would walk around class during labs, kind of peek over the shoulders of my students, look at what they're doing, it's... Easy to maybe point out at something and be like, well, what is this? I can't tell what this is doing. Can you tell me what this does? Well, maybe that's a better name because somebody else who was looking at this, they won't know, I don't know, you know, it's in your head, but you will not always be working solo. my school, a big portion of the students went on to get technical jobs from after right after graduating. it was when you graduated from the school that I was teaching at, KTC, it was the equivalent of an associate's degree. Maybe 50 percent went off to a tech job. Maybe 50 percent went on to a four year university. And, and so as students, it hadn't. Connected with them always yet that oh, this isn't just about the assignment. This is also about learning how to interact with my co workers in the future. Differences between students [00:08:38] Jeremy: Yeah, I mean, I think It's hard, but, group projects are kind of always, uh, that's kind of where you get to work with other people and, read other people's code, but there's always that potential imbalance of where one person is like, uh, I know how to do this. I'll just do it. Right? So I'm not really sure how to solve that problem. Yeah. [00:09:00] Sara: Mm hmm. That's something that I think probably happens to some degree everywhere, but man, Japan really has groups, group work down. They, that's a super generalization. For my students though, when you would put them in a group, they were, they were usually really organized about who was going to do what and, kept on each other about doing things maybe there were some students that were a little bit more slackers, but it was certainly not the kind of polarized dichotomy you would usually see in an American classroom. [00:09:39] Jeremy: Yeah. I've been on both sides. I've been the person who did the work and the slacker. [00:09:44] Sara: Same. [00:09:46] Jeremy: And, uh, I feel bad about it now, but, uh, [00:09:50] Sara: We did what we had to do. [00:09:52] Jeremy: We all got the degree, so we're good. that is interesting, though. I mean, was there anything else, like, culturally different, you felt, from, you know, the Japanese university? [00:10:04] Sara: Yes. Absolutely. A lot of things. In American university, it's kind of the first time in a young person's life, usually, where they have the freedom to choose what they learn, choose where they live, what they're interested in. And so there's usually a lot of investment in your study and being there, being present, paying attention to the lecture. This is not to say that Japanese college students were the opposite. But the cultural feeling is college is your last time to have fun before you enter the real world of jobs and working too many hours. And so the emphasis on paying Super attention or, being perfect in your assignments. There was, there was a scale. There were some students that were 100 percent there. And then there were some students that were like, I'm here to get a degree and maybe I'm going to sleep in class a little bit. (laughs) That is another major difference, cultural aspect. In America, if you fall asleep in a meeting, you fall asleep in class, super rude. Don't do it. In Japan, if you take a nap at work, you take a nap in class, not rude. It's actually viewed as a sign of you are working really hard. You're usually working maybe late into the night. You're not getting enough sleep. So the fact that you need to take maybe a nap here or two here or there throughout the day means that you have put dedication in. [00:11:50] Jeremy: Even if the reason you're asleep is because you were playing games late at night. [00:11:54] Sara: Yep. [00:11:55] Jeremy: But they don't know that. [00:11:56] Sara: Yeah. But it's usually the case for my students. [00:11:59] Jeremy: Okay. I'm glad they were having fun at least [00:12:02] Sara: Me too. Why she moved back [00:12:04] Jeremy: That sounds like a really interesting experience. You did it for about two years? Three years. [00:12:12] Sara: So I had a three year contract with an option to extend up to five, although I did have a There were other teachers in my same situation who were actually there for like 10 years, so it was flexible. [00:12:27] Jeremy: Yeah. So I guess when you made the decision to, to leave, what was sort of your, your thinking there? [00:12:35] Sara: My fiance was in America [00:12:37] Jeremy: Good. [00:12:37] Sara: he didn't want to move to Japan [00:12:39] Jeremy: Good, reason. [00:12:39] Sara: Yeah, he was waiting three years patiently for me. [00:12:44] Jeremy: Okay. Okay. my heart goes out there . He waited patiently. [00:12:49] Sara: We saw each other. We, we were very lucky enough to see each other every three or four months in person. Either I would visit America or he would come visit me in Kanazawa. [00:12:59] Jeremy: Yeah, yeah. You, you couldn't convince him to, to fall in love with the country. [00:13:03] Sara: I'm getting there [00:13:04] Jeremy: Oh, you're getting Oh, [00:13:05] Sara: it's, We're making, we're making way. [00:13:07] Jeremy: Good, that's good. So are you taking like, like yearly trips or something, or? [00:13:11] Sara: That was, that was always my intention when I moved back so I moved back in the Spring of 2018 to America and I did visit. In 2019, the following year, so I could attend the graduation ceremony for the last group of students that I taught. [00:13:26] Jeremy: That's so sweet. [00:13:27] Sara: And then I had plans to go in 2020. We know what happened in 2020 [00:13:32] Jeremy: Yeah. [00:13:33] Sara: The country did not open to tourism again until the fall of 2022. But I did just make a trip last month. [00:13:40] Jeremy: Nice [00:13:40] Sara: To see some really good friends for the first time in four years. [00:13:43] Jeremy: Amazing, yeah. Where did you go? [00:13:46] Sara: I did a few days in Tokyo. I did a few days in Niigata cause I was with a friend who studied abroad there. And then a few days in Kanazawa. [00:13:56] Jeremy: That's really cool, yeah. yeah, I had a friend who lived there, but they were teaching English, yeah. And, I always have a really good time when I'm out there, yeah. [00:14:08] Sara: Absolutely. If anyone out there visiting wants to go to Japan, this is your push. Go do it. Reach out to me on LinkedIn. I will help you plan. [00:14:17] Jeremy: Nice, nice. Um, yeah, I, I, I would say the same. Like, definitely, if you're thinking about it, go. And, uh, sounds like Sara will hook you up. [00:14:28] Sara: Yep, I'm your travel guide. Technical terms in Japanese [00:14:31] Jeremy: So you, you studied, uh, you, you said you had a minor in Japanese? Yeah. So, so when you were teaching there, were you teaching classes in English or was it in Japanese? [00:14:42] Sara: It was a mix. Uh, when I was hired, the job description was no Japanese needed. It was a very, like, Global, international style college, so there was a huge emphasis on learning English. They wanted us to teach only in English. My thought was, it's hard enough learning computer science in your native language, let alone a foreign language, so my lectures were in English, but I would assist the labs in japanese [00:15:14] Jeremy: Oh, nice. Okay. And then, so you were basically fluent then at the time. Middle. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, well, I think if you're able to, to help people, you know, in labs and stuff, and it's a technical topic, right? So that's gotta be kind of a, an interesting challenge [00:15:34] Sara: I did learn a lot of new computer vocabulary. Yes. [00:15:39] Jeremy: So the words are, like, a lot of them are not the same? Or, you know, for, for specifically related to programming, I guess. [00:15:46] Sara: Hmm. Yeah, there are Japanese specific words. There's a lot of loan words that we use. We. Excuse me. There's a lot of loan words that Japanese uses for computer terms, but there's plenty that are just in Japanese. For example, uh, an array is hairetsu. [00:16:08] Jeremy: Okay. [00:16:08] Sara: And like a screen or the display that your monitor is a gamen, but a keyboard would be keyboard... Kībōdo, probably. [00:16:20] Jeremy: Yeah. So just, uh, so that, they use that as a loan word, I guess. But I'm not sure why not the other two. [00:16:27] Sara: Yeah, it's a mystery. [00:16:29] Jeremy: So it's just, it's just a total mix. Yeah. I'm just picturing you thinking like, okay, is it the English word or is it the Japanese word? You know, like each time you're thinking of a technical term. Yeah. [00:16:39] Sara: Mm hmm. I mostly, I, I I went to the internet. I searched for Japanese computer term dictionary website, and kind of just studied the terms. I also paid a lot of attention to the Japanese professors when they were teaching, what words they were using. Tried to integrate. Also, I was able to lean on my study abroad, because it was a technical Japanese, like there were classes that we took that was on technical Japanese. Computer usage, and also eco technology, like green technology. So I had learned a bunch of them previously. [00:17:16] Jeremy: Mm. So was that for like a summer or a year or something [00:17:20] Sara: It was six weeks [00:17:21] Jeremy: Six weeks. [00:17:21] Sara: During the summer, [00:17:22] Jeremy: Got it. So that's okay. So like, yeah, that must have been an experience like going to, I'm assuming that's the first time you had been [00:17:30] Sara: It was actually the second time [00:17:31] Jeremy: The second [00:17:32] Sara: Yeah. That was in 2010 that I studied abroad. [00:17:35] Jeremy: And then the classes, they were in Japanese or? Yeah. Yeah. That's, uh, that's, that's full immersion right there. [00:17:42] Sara: It was, it was very funny in the, in the very first lesson of kind of just the general language course, there was a student that was asking, I, how do I say this? I don't know this. And she was like, Nihongo de. [00:17:55] Jeremy: Oh (laughs) ! [00:17:56] Sara: You must, must ask your question only in [00:17:59] Jeremy: Yeah, Programming resources in Japanesez [00:17:59] Jeremy: yeah. yeah. That's awesome. So, so it's like, I guess the, the professors, they spoke English, but they were really, really pushing you, like, speak Japanese. Yeah, that's awesome. and maybe this is my bias because I'm an English native, but when you look up. Resources, like you look up blog posts and Stack Overflow and all this stuff. It's all in English, right? So I'm wondering for your, your students, when, when they would search, like, I got this error, you know, what do I do about it? Are they looking at the English pages or are they, you know, you know what I mean? [00:18:31] Sara: There are Japanese resources that they would use. They love Guguru (Google) sensei. [00:18:36] Jeremy: Ah okay. Okay. [00:18:38] Sara: Um, but yeah, there are plenty of Japanese language stack overflow equivalents. I'm not sure if they have stack overflow specifically in Japanese. But there are sites like that, that they, that they used. Some of the more invested students would also use English resources, but that was a minority. [00:19:00] Jeremy: Interesting. So there's a, there's a big enough community, I suppose, of people posting and answering questions and stuff where it's, you don't feel like, there aren't people doing the same thing as you out there. [00:19:14] Sara: Absolutely. Yeah. There's, a large world of software development in Japan, that we don't get to hear. There are questions and answers over here because of that language barrier. [00:19:26] Jeremy: Yeah. I would be, like, kind of curious to, to see, the, the languages and the types of problems they have, if they were similar or if it's, like, I don't know, just different. [00:19:38] Sara: Yeah, now I'm interested in that too, and I bet you there is a lot of research that we could do on Ruby, since Ruby is Japanese. [00:19:51] Jeremy: Right. cause something I've, I've often heard is that, when somebody says they're working with Ruby, Here in, um, the United States, a lot of times people assume it's like, Oh, you're doing a Rails app, [00:20:02] Sara: Mm hmm. [00:20:03] Jeremy: Almost, almost everybody who's using Ruby, not everyone, but you know, the majority I think are using it because of Rails. And I've heard that in Japan, there's actually a lot more usage that's, that's not tied to Rails. [00:20:16] Sara: I've also heard that, and I get the sense of that from RubyKaigi as well. Which I have never been lucky enough to attend. But, yeah, the talks that come out of RubyKaigi, very technical, low to the metal of Ruby, because there's that community that's using it for things other than Rails, other than web apps. [00:20:36] Jeremy: Yeah, I think, one of the ones, I don't know if it was a talk or not, but, somebody was saying that there is Ruby in space. [00:20:42] Sara: That's awesome. Ruby's everywhere. LAN parties in college [00:20:44] Jeremy: So yeah, I guess like another thing I saw, during your time at Rochester is you were, involved with like, there's like a gaming club I wonder if you could talk a little bit about your experience with that. [00:20:55] Sara: Absolutely, I can. So, at RIT, I was an executive board member for three or four years at the Electronic Gaming Society. EGS for short, uh, we hosted weekly console game nights in, the student alumni union area, where there's open space, kind of like a cafeteria. We also hosted quarterly land parties, and we would actually get people from out of state sometimes who weren't even students to come. Uh, and we would usually host the bigger ones in the field house, which is also where concerts are held. And we would hold the smaller ones in conference rooms. I think when I started in 2006, the, the, the LANs were pretty small, maybe like 50, 50 people bring your, your, your huge CRT monitor tower in. [00:21:57] Jeremy: Oh yeah, [00:21:57] Sara: In And then by the time I left in 2012. we were over 300 people for a weekend LAN party, um, and we were actually drawing more power than concerts do. [00:22:13] Jeremy: Incredible. what were, what were people playing at the time? Like when they would the LANs like, [00:22:18] Sara: Yep. Fortnite, early League of Legends, Call of Duty. Battlegrounds. And then also just like fun indie games like Armagedtron, which is kind of like a racing game in the style of [00:22:37] Jeremy: okay. Oh, okay, [00:22:39] Sara: Um, any, there are some like fun browser games where you could just mess with each other. Jackbox. Yeah. [00:22:49] Jeremy: Yeah, it's, it's interesting that, you know, you're talking about stuff like Fortnite and, um, what is it? Battlegrounds is [00:22:55] Sara: not Fortnite. Team Fortress. [00:22:58] Jeremy: Oh Team Fortress! [00:22:59] Sara: Sorry. Yeah. Oh, yeah, I got my, my names mixed up. Fortnite, I think, did not exist at the time, but Team Fortress was big. [00:23:11] Jeremy: Yeah. that's really cool that you're able to get such a big group there. is there something about Rochester, I guess, that that was able to bring together this many people for like these big LAN events? Because I'm... I mean, I'm not sure how it is elsewhere, but I feel like that's probably not what was happening elsewhere in the country. [00:23:31] Sara: Yeah, I mean, if you've ever been to, um, DreamHack, that's, that's a huge LAN party and game convention, that's fun. so... EGS started in the early 2000s, even before I joined, and was just a committed group of people. RIT was a very largely technical school. The majority of students were there for math, science, engineering, or they were in the computer college, [00:24:01] Jeremy: Oh, okay. [00:24:01] Sara: GCIS, G C C I S, the Gossano College of Computing and Information Sciences. So there was a lot of us there. [00:24:10] Jeremy: That does make sense. I mean, it's, it's sort of this, this bias that when there's people doing, uh, technical stuff like software, um, you know, and just IT, [00:24:21] Sara: Mm hmm. [00:24:23] Jeremy: there's kind of this assumption that's like, oh, maybe they play games. And it seems like that was accurate [00:24:27] Sara: It was absolutely accurate. And there were plenty of people that came from different majors. but when I started, there were 17, 000 students and so that's a lot of students and obviously not everyone came to our weekly meetings, but we had enough dedicated people that were on the eboard driving, You know, marketing and advertising for, for our events and things like that, that we were able to get, the good community going. I, I wasn't part of it, but the anime club at RIT is also huge. They run a convention every year that is huge, ToraCon, um. And I think it's just kind of the confluence of there being a lot of geeks and nerds on campus and Rochester is a college town. There's maybe like 10 other universities in [00:25:17] Jeremy: Well, sounds like it was a good time. [00:25:19] Sara: Absolutely would recommend. Strong Museum of Play [00:25:22] Jeremy: I've never, I've never been, but the one thing I have heard about Rochester is there's the, the Strong Museum of Play. [00:25:29] Sara: Yeah, that place is so much fun, even as an adult. It's kind of like, um, the, the Children's Museum in Indiana for, for those that might know that. it just has all the historical toys and pop culture and interactive exhibits. It's so fun. [00:25:48] Jeremy: it's not quite the same, but it, when you were mentioning the Children's Museum in, um, I think it's in St. Louis, there's, uh, it's called the City Museum and it's like a, it's like a giant playground, you know, indoors, outdoors, and it's not just for kids, right? And actually some of this stuff seems like kind of sketch in terms of like, you could kind of hurt yourself, you know, climbing [00:26:10] Sara: When was this made? [00:26:12] Jeremy: I'm not sure, but, uh, [00:26:14] Sara: before regulations maybe. ha. [00:26:16] Jeremy: Yeah. It's, uh, but it's really cool. So at the, at the Museum of Play, though, is it, There's like a video game component, right? But then there's also, like, other types of things, [00:26:26] Sara: Yeah, they have, like, a whole section of the museum that's really, really old toys on display, like, 1900s, 1800s. Um, they have a whole Sesame Street section, and other things like that. Yeah. From Java to Ruby [00:26:42] Jeremy: Check it out if you're in Rochester. maybe now we could talk a little bit about, so like now you're working at Thoughtbot as a Ruby developer. but before we started recording, you were telling me that you started, working with Java. And there was like a, a long path I suppose, you know, changing languages. So maybe you can talk a little bit about your experience there. [00:27:06] Sara: Yeah. for other folks who have switched languages, this might be a familiar story for you, where once you get a job in one technology or one stack, one language, you kind of get typecast after a while. Your next job is probably going to be in the same language, same stack. Companies, they hire based on technology and So, it might be hard, even if you've been playing around with Ruby in your free time, to break, make that barrier jump from one language to another, one stack to another. I mean, these technologies, they can take a little while to ramp up on. They can be a little bit different, especially if you're going from a non object oriented language to an object oriented, don't. Lose hope. (laughs) If you have an interest in Ruby and you're not a Rubyist right now, there's a good company for you that will give you a chance. That's the key that I learned, is as a software developer, the skills that you have that are the most important are not the language that you know. It's the type of thinking that you do, the problem solving, communication, documentation, knowledge sharing, Supporting each other, and as Saron the keynote speaker on Wednesday said, the, the word is love. [00:28:35] Jeremy: [00:28:35] Sara: So when I was job hunting, it was really valuable for me to include those important aspects in my skill, in my resume, in my CV, in my interviews, that like, I'm newer to this language because I had learned it at a rudimentary level before. Never worked in it really professionally for a long time. Um, when I was applying, it was like, look, I'm good at ramping up in technologies. I have been doing software for a long time, and I'm very comfortable with the idea of planning, documenting, problem solving. Give me a chance, please. I was lucky enough to find my place at a company that would give me a chance. Test Double hired me in 2019 as a remote. Software Consultant, and it changed my life. [00:29:34] Jeremy: What, what was it about, Ruby that I'm assuming that this is something that you maybe did in your spare time where you were playing with Ruby or? [00:29:43] Sara: I am one of those people that don't really code in their spare time, which I think is valuable for people to say. The image of a software developer being, well, if you're not coding in your spare time, then you're not passionate about it. That's a myth. That's not true. Some of us, we have other hobbies. I have lots of hobbies. Coding is not the one that I carry outside of the workplace, usually, but, I worked at a company called Constant Contact in 2014 and 2015. And while I was there, I was able to learn Ruby on Rails. [00:30:23] Jeremy: Oh, okay. So that was sort of, I guess, your experience there, on the job. I guess you enjoyed something about the language or something about Rails and then that's what made you decide, like, I would really love to, to... do more of this [00:30:38] Sara: Absolutely. It was amazing. It's such a fun language. The first time I heard about it was in college, maybe 2008 or 2009. And I remember learning, this looks like such a fun language. This looks like it would be so interesting to learn. And I didn't think about it again until 2014. And then I was programming in it. Coming from a Java mindset and it blew my mind, the Rails magic also, I was like, what is happening? This is so cool. Because of my typecasting sort of situation of Java, I wasn't able to get back to it until 2019. And I don't want to leave. I'm so happy. I love the language. I love the community. It's fun. [00:31:32] Jeremy: I can totally see that. I mean, when I first tried out Rails, yeah, it, like, you mentioned the magic, and I know some people are like, ah, I don't like the magic, but when, I think, once I saw what you could do, And how, sort of, little you needed to write, and the fact that so many projects kind of look the same. Um, yeah, that really clicked for me, and I really appreciated that. think that and the Rails console. I think the console is amazing. [00:32:05] Sara: Being able to just check real quick. Hmm, I wonder if this will work. Wait, no, I can check right now. I [00:32:12] Jeremy: And I think that's an important point you brought up too, about, like, not... the, the stereotype and I, I kind of, you know, showed it here where I assumed like, Oh, you were doing Java and then you moved to Ruby. It must've been because you were doing Ruby on the side and thought like, Oh, this is cool. I want to do it for my job. but I, I thought that's really cool that you were able to, not only that you, you don't do the programming stuff outside of work, but that you were able to, to find an opportunity where you could try something different, you know, in your job where you're still being paid. And I wonder, was there any, was there any specific intention behind, like, when you took that job, it was so that I can try something different, or did it just kind of happen? I'm curious what your... The appeal of consulting [00:32:58] Sara: I was wanting to try something different. I also really wanted to get into consulting. [00:33:04] Jeremy: Hmm. [00:33:05] Sara: I have ADHD. And working at a product company long term, I think, was never really going to work out for me. another thing you might notice in my LinkedIn is that a lot of my stays at companies have been relatively short. Because, I don't know, I, my brain gets bored. The consultancy environment is... Perfect. You can go to different clients, different engagements, meet new people, learn a different stack, learn how other people are doing things, help them be better, and maybe every two weeks, two months, three months, six months, a year, change and do it all over again. For some people, that sounds awful. For me, it's perfect. [00:33:51] Jeremy: Yeah, I hadn't thought about that with, with consulting. cause I, I suppose, so you said it's, it's usually about half a year between projects or is It [00:34:01] Sara: varies [00:34:01] Jeremy: It varies widely. [00:34:02] Sara: Widely. I think we try to hit the sweet spot of 3-6 months. For an individual working on a project, the actual contract engagement might be longer than that, but, yeah. Maintainers don't get enough credit [00:34:13] Jeremy: Yeah. And, and your point about how some people, they like to jump on different things and some people like to, to stick to the same thing. I mean, that, that makes a lot of, sense in terms of, I think maintaining software and like building new software. It's, they're both development, [00:34:32] Sara: Mm hmm. [00:34:32] Jeremy: they're very different. Right. [00:34:35] Sara: It's so funny that you bring that up because I highly gravitate towards maintaining over making. I love going to different projects, but I have very little interest in Greenfield, very little interest in making something new. I want to get into the weeds, into 10 years that nobody wants to deal with because the weeds are so high and there's dragons in there. I want to cut it away. I want to add documentation. I want to make it better. It's so important for us to maintain our software. It doesn't get nearly enough credit. The people that work on open source, the people that are doing maintenance work on, on apps internally, externally, Upgrades, making sure dependencies are all good and safe and secure. love that stuff. [00:35:29] Jeremy: That's awesome. We, we need more of you. (laughs) [00:35:31] Sara: There's plenty of us out there, but we don't get the credit (laughs) [00:35:34] Jeremy: Yeah, because it's like with maintenance, well, I would say probably both in companies and in open source when everything is working. Then Nobody nobody knows. Nobody says anything. They're just like, Oh, that's great. It's working. And then if it breaks, then everyone's upset. [00:35:51] Sara: Exactly. [00:35:53] Jeremy: And so like, yeah, you're just there to get yelled at when something goes wrong. But when everything's going good, it's like, [00:35:59] Sara: A job well done is, I was never here. [00:36:02] Jeremy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know how. To, you know, to fix that, I mean, when you think about open source maintainers, right, like a big thing is, is, is burnout, right? Where you are keeping the internet and all of our applications running and, you know, what you get for it is people yelling at you and the issues, right? [00:36:23] Sara: Yeah, it's hard. And I think I actually. Submitted a talk to RubyConf this year about this topic. It didn't get picked. That's okay. Um, we all make mistakes. I'm going to try to give it somewhere in the future, but I think one of the important things that we as an industry should strive for is giving glory. Giving support and kudos to maintenance work. I've been trying to do that. slash I have been doing that at ThoughtBot by, at some cadence. I have been putting out a blog post to the ThoughtBot blog called. This week in open source, the time period that is covered might be a week or longer in those posts. I give a summary of all of the commits that have been made to our open source projects. And the people that made those contributions with highlighting to new version releases, including patch level. And I do this. The time I, I, I took up the torch of doing this from a co worker, Mike Burns, who used to do it 10 years ago. I do this so that people can get acknowledgement for the work they do, even if it's fixing a broken link, even if it's updating some words that maybe don't make sense. All of it is valuable. [00:37:54] Jeremy: Definitely. Yeah. I mean, I, I think that, um, yeah, what's visible to people is when there's a new feature or an API change and Yeah, it's just, uh, people don't, I think a lot of people don't realize, like, how much work goes into just keeping everything running. [00:38:14] Sara: Mm hmm. Especially in the world of open source and Ruby on Rails, all the gems, there's so many different things coming out, things that suddenly this is not compatible. Suddenly you need to change something in your code because a dependency, however many steps apart has changed and it's hard work. The people that do those things are amazing. [00:38:41] Jeremy: So if anybody listening does that work, we, we appreciate you. [00:38:45] Sara: We salute you. Thank you. And if you're interested in contributing to ThoughtBot open source, we have lots of repos. There's one out there for you. Thoughts on RubyConf [00:38:54] Jeremy: You've been doing programming for quite a while, and, you're here at, at RubyConf. I wonder what kind of brings you to these, these conferences? Like, what do you get out of them? Um, I guess, how was this one? That sort of thing. [00:39:09] Sara: Well, first, this one was sick. This one was awesome. Uh, Ruby central pulled out all the stops and that DJ on Monday. In the event, in the exhibit hall. Wow. Amazing. So he told me that he was going to put his set up on Spotify, on Weedmaps Spotify, so go check it out. Anyway, I come to these conferences for people. I just love connecting with people. Those listening might notice that I'm an extrovert. I work remotely. A lot of us work remotely these days. this is an opportunity to see some of my coworkers. There's seven of us here. It's an opportunity to see people I only see at conferences, of which there are a lot. It's a chance to connect with people I've only met on Mastodon, or LinkedIn, or Stack Overflow. It's a chance to meet wonderful podcasters who are putting out great content, keeping our community alive. That's, that's the key for me. And the talks are wonderful, but honestly, they're just a side effect for me. They just come as a result of being here. [00:40:16] Jeremy: Yeah, it's kind of a unique opportunity, you know, to have so many of your, your colleagues and to just all be in the same place. And you know that anybody you talk to here, like if you talk about Ruby or software, they're not going to look at you and go like, I don't know what you're talking about. Like everybody here has at least that in common. So it's, yeah, it's a really cool experience to, to be able to chat with anybody. And it's like, You're all on the same page, [00:40:42] Sara: Mm hmm. We're all in this boat together. [00:40:45] Jeremy: Yup, that we got to keep, got to keep afloat according to matz [00:40:49] Sara: Gotta keep it afloat, yeah. [00:40:51] Jeremy: Though I was like, I was pretty impressed by like during his, his keynote and he had asked, you know, how many of you here, it's your first RubyConf and it felt like it was over half the room. [00:41:04] Sara: Yeah, I got the same sense. I was very glad to see that, very impressed. My first RubyConf was and it was the same sort of showing of [00:41:14] Jeremy: Nice, yeah. Yeah, actually, that was my first one, too. [00:41:17] Sara: Nice! [00:41:19] Jeremy: Uh, that was Nashville, Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's, yeah, it's really interesting to see because, the meme online is probably like, Ah, Ruby is dead, or Rails is dead. But like you come to these conferences and yeah, there's, there's so many new people. There's like new people that are learning it and experiencing it and, you know, enjoying it the same way we are. So I, I really hope that the, the community can really, yeah, keep this going. [00:41:49] Sara: Continue, continue to grow and share. I love that we had first timer buttons, buttons where people could self identify as this is my first RubyConf and, and then that opens a conversation immediately. It's like, how are you liking it? What was your favorite talk? [00:42:08] Jeremy: Yeah, that's awesome. okay, I think that's probably a good place to start wrapping it. But is there anything else you wanted to mention or thought we should have talked about? [00:42:18] Sara: Can I do a plug for thoughtbot? [00:42:20] Jeremy: yeah, go for it. [00:42:21] Sara: Alright. For those of you out there that might not know what ThoughtBot does, we are a full software lifecycle or company lifecycle consultancy, so we do everything from market fit and rapid prototyping to MVPs to helping with developed companies, developed teams, maybe do a little bit of a Boost when you have a deadline or doing some tech debt. Pay down. We also have a DevOps team, so if you have an idea or a company or a team, you want a little bit of support, we have been around for 20 years. We are here for you. Reach out to us at thoughtbot.com. [00:43:02] Jeremy: I guess the thing about Thoughtbot is that, within the Ruby community specifically, they've been so involved with sponsorships and, and podcasts. And so, uh, when you hear about consultancies, a lot of times it's kind of like, well, I don't know, are they like any good? Do they know what they're doing? But I, I feel like, ThoughtBot has had enough, like enough of a public record. I feel It's like, okay, if you, if you hire them, um, you should be in good hands. [00:43:30] Sara: Yeah. If you have any questions about our abilities, read the blog. [00:43:35] Jeremy: It is a good blog. Sometimes when I'm, uh, searching for how to do something in Rails, it'll pop up, [00:43:40] Sara: Mm hmm. Me too. Every question I ask, one of the first results is our own blog. I'm like, oh yeah, that makes sense. [00:43:47] Jeremy: Probably the peak is if you've written the blog. [00:43:50] Sara: That has happened to my coworkers They're like, wait, I wrote a blog about this nine years ago. [00:43:55] Jeremy: Yeah, yeah. So maybe, maybe that'll happen to you soon. I, I know definitely people who do, um, Stack Overflow. And it's like, Oh, I like, this is a good answer. Oh, I wrote this. (laughs) yeah. Well, Sara, thank you so much for, for chatting with me today. [00:44:13] Sara: Absolutely, Jeremy. Thank you so much for having me. I was really glad to chat today.

The list is out and official for what is going in to the Strong Museum over in Rochester for the Toy Hall of Fame.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since joining the New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA) as President & CEO in September of 2018, Bob has focused on NYSTIA's programming, marketing & data analytics, advocacy efforts, and destination stewardship strategies. He has enhanced member communications and collaborative initiatives, facilitated rebranding, and the restatement of vision and purpose for the organization. He worked hand-in-hand with tourism industry members across the state and leadership in Washington, DC, and Albany to coordinate response and recovery efforts during and following the pandemic. Post-pandemic initiatives include the creation of member task force teams on sustainability, workforce development, and higher education. Today, the New York State Tourism Industry Association (NYSTIA) is a nonprofit, member-driven organization at the vanguard of tourism destination stewardship and long-term strategic planning. Tourism is not a goal; it is a means to an end, states Bob. Tourism is a tool to power economic growth, job creation, small business success, community revitalization, increased local and state tax revenues, improved standard of living and quality of life, and pride of place. NYSTIAs membership includes the leadership of New York State County Tourism Promotion Agencies (TPAs), major urban and remote/rural Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), key executives from major attractions (e.g., LEGOLAND NY), museums (e.g., Baseball Hall of Fame, Corning Museum of Glass, Strong Museum of Play), resort hotels and major marketing firms from across the U.S and Canada. Born in Bayshore, Long Island, Bob Provost LOVES NY, vacationing everywhere from Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands to New York City, Lake Placid to Corning, with stops everywhere in between. He resides with his wife, Pam, just outside Albany, NY, on a rural property in Rensselaer County. On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Bob Provost, who shares why he sees the travel and tourism industry as a stimulant for change. We discuss transformational development, stewardship, and the importance of long-term strategic thinking for DMOs. Bob also shares how the New York State Tourism Industry Association is facilitating the discussion around best practices in DEI. What You Will Learn in this Episode: How creating a bundle of attractions and destinations helped the New York State Tourism Industry Association's recovery and resurgence Defining leadership versus management and the importance of both qualities for organizational success The importance of long-term strategic thinking and vision as a DMO How the New York State Tourism Industry Association utilizes tourism as a tool to achieve economic growth, job creation, and community revitalization Outcomes and best practices discussed during the panel on Diversity in Action Transformational Development In our conversation Bob emphasizes the role of tourism as a catalyst for change, transforming stagnant markets and revitalizing communities. He describes why their focus is not just on short-term goals but also on long-term strategic thinking, envisioning a future state and working collaboratively to achieve it. Through various projects such as building arenas, developing destination marketing organizations, and creating vibrant tourism assets like the National Museum of Play, communities experience lasting positive impact. Collaboration is at the heart of Bob Provost's approach and he describes how by bringing together diverse industry professionals, sharing expertise, and working towards a common vision, the association has been successful in implementing initiatives that have had a positive effect on the community as a whole. Stewardship and Long-Term Thinking We discuss the significance of stewardship in destination management and why DMOs have a . responsibility to preserve and enhance both natural and cultural resources, ensuring their sustainable use for future generations. Bob discusses the domino effect, and encourages leaders to exercise vision and work towards shared goals, aligning the interests of all stakeholders. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Recognizing the importance of diversity within the tourism industry, the New York State Tourism Industry Association's focus has shifted to diversifying supply chains, reaching out to different demographic groups, and promoting diversity within communities and organizations. Bob discusses the well-received panel on Diversity in Action and describes how the association is facilitating the discussion, highlighting positive outcomes and signposting to best practices in DEI. Resources: Website: https://www.nystia.org/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobprovost/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nystia/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYSTIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nystia Bob's Previous DOTL Episode: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcasts/bob-provost/

When in history have children taught their parents skills they need for their jobs? 

A new exhibit at Rochester's Strong Museum of Play delves into the world of dolls while addressing the enduring presence of racism in America, Monroe Community College has a significant increase in student enrollment for this fall semester, and a weekend event in Rochester brought attention to the life and death of Daniel Prude.

Families in the Rochester City School District are facing a host of changes next school year, the National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum in Rochester has announced the 12 finalists being considered for induction this year, and the head of the State University of New York says the fall semester has gotten off to a great start.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Pinball is an iconic game. Jeremy Saucier of the Strong Museum of Play shares the surprising story--from pinball's origins in French parlor games, to its prohibition, to its emergence as the popular game that it is today.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob talks with Jon-Paul Dyson from The Strong National Museum of Play about Atari 50. Topics include the history of Atari, game preservation, and what's new at the Strong Museum in 2023. For more on The Strong, visit: https://www.museumofplay.org/ Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyrespawned *Audio from a video episode published on August 28, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQcWNRwuN2U

The company hired to provide care and services to migrants bused to Rochester and other upstate cities is accused of mistreating those in their charge, Eastman Kodak this week reported an increase in profits but a drop in revenues, and the International Toy Research Association is holding its world conference at the Strong Museum of Play this week.

As the family historian and memory-keeper in my family, I've inherited my fair share of legacy artifacts, photos and videos. I've spent countless hours researching ways to organize, preserve and share these memories so that the stories of past generations can live on into the future. Today on the Podcast, we called in Expert Archivist and The Photo Curator, Kate Jacus, to chat about ways we can preserve our legacy in the fringe moments between or hectic real lives. Kate has a Masters Degree in Museum Studies, has worked for the Smithsonian in DC and the Strong Museum in Rochester, NY cataloging and curating their precious artifacts. She's also a photographer, photo manager and organizer and mom... so she gets just how challenging the struggle is to manage your own personal collections. Dive in to our super helpful chat about ways we can take small action to ensure our photos and artifacts we cherish survive for generations to come. Visit our Show Notes for photos and links to all of the products we discuss and for links to the upcoming YouTube episode that I share featuring our chat and a peek at the products in real time as we chat on this episode. You'll also be able to download the Free Photo Tracker that I have created just for you where you can track your photos and your family heirlooms all in one document. Here's a quick link to the Photo and Heirloom Tracker

We share the details of our recent field trip to The Strong Museum of Play to celebrate their newest video game focused expansion. In this travel log episode: travel woes; Wegmans toilet paper; Transformers' shrieks at a cocktail event; a giant, playable Donkey Kong cabinet; video games ARE real; Level Up and High Score; touring the labs, vaults, and library; and finally what inspired us. Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

The former Hickey Freeman factory in Rochester is getting a new owner, the Strong Museum of Play is opening its massive video-game themed expansion today, and the entire state of New York has unhealthy air conditions heading into a long weekend that is characterized by plenty of outdoor activities.

Newsletter! (Keeley Eccos) 00:21:12 Catalinbread Tremolo8  (Hudson Broadcast) 00:22:37 A weird thing Derek thought of (Oxford) 00:32:09 Thing of the Week 00:46:12 The Strong Museum of Play and Toy Hall of Fame  Teknor Zero-G Pro Patreon  00:56:19 Nick Greenwood Carson Ricketts Matthew Fenslau Riesenwolf Jamie Evans Doug King Big Daddy Doug Steve Huffman Crom Tuise Brian Gower of the Tone Jerks Podcast MaCo Guitars Andrew Walsh of Andrew's Alcove Doug Christ of Thirty7 FX  Sean Wright of Lollygagger FX --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thetonecontrol/message

The Gargoyle of Gotham is coming and big changes to the Strong Museum! We'll talk about it in today's #MikeJonesMinuteCon.

Journalists at the Democrat and Chronicle will join their colleagues across the country in a walkout on Monday, a memorial service will be held this weekend for a pioneering Rochester conductor, and officials at the Strong Museum of Play say they are on track to hold their grand re-opening on June 30th.

The Hollywood Museum in Los Angeles, California displays a silk dress, a costume from a movie at the heart of a legendary curse believed to have taken the lives of some of cinema's biggest stars. The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY has a sample of a small, putty-like material that eventually was molded into a classic American plaything. And at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Massachusetts contains a simple faded document that served as a crucial piece of evidence in a sensational murder case.For even more Mysteries at the Museum, head to discovery+. Go to discoveryplus.com/mystery to start your 7-day free trial today. Terms apply. 

This week on All N: a Nintendo podcast! ♠️

The Break Room (TUESDAY 5/9/23) 7am Hour Includes:  1) A Break Room listener is seeking advice for how she should handle this family situation on her graduation day. 2) While the timing of this announcement seems inconvenient, does anyone that lives outside this area really feel bad about what's going on? 3) That's a biggggg scottie! 

On this episode of Our American Stories, Pinball is an iconic American game. But how did it reach its iconic status? How did pinball develop? Why flippers? Listen to Jeremy Saucier of the Strong Museum of Play as he shares the long, and sometimes surprising, history of pinball--from its origins in French parlor games, to its prohibition, and then to its emergence as the immersive and popular game that it is today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Break Room (TUESDAY 4/11/23) 7am Hour Includes:  1) How does a family overcome this type of emergency trip to the hospital? 2) The fact that this many men think they can handle this very high stakes situation should alarm most people. 3) This new addition to the Strong Museum of Play is going to put Rochester on the map!

We kick of season five of The Playground Podcast with Madame Alexander's VP of sales, David Morgenstern. Richard, Chris, and guest host Chris Bensch from The Strong Museum of Play chat about this history, the legend, and what's new for the next chapter in the life of this iconic brand. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-playground-podcast/support

The Break Room (WEDNESDAY 1/25/23) 8am Hour Includes:  1) "Where have all the tough men gone?" asks one man that claims they don't exist anymore. 2) Should bartenders be held accountable if things go as wrong as they did for this woman? 3) This is a Rochester treasure that we should all embrace!

On this episode of Our American Stories, Pinball is an iconic American game. But how did it reach its iconic status? How did pinball develop? Listen to Jeremy Saucier of the Strong Museum of Play as he shares the long, and surprising, history of pinball--from its origins in French parlor games, to its prohibition, and then to its emergence as the immersive and popular game that it is today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fairport resident Clark King, charter member of the Association for Games and Puzzles International and member of the Strong Museum of Play's National Toy Hall of Fame selection advisory committee, speaks on U.S. board games through the decades, spanning 150 years of American families at play. He also displays many historic, unusual and rare games from his personal collection. Take a journey back to your childhood and beyond and learn about the current booming hobby of board gaming!

This week, we talk with Super Rare Games' "Head of Words," Ryan Brown, about his company's approach to physical game distribution for indie games, and what it takes to get your game not just on a Nintendo, but on a Nintendo cartridge. Physical Releases for Indies MarketingProductionSuper Rare GamesSuper Rare Games - TwitterSuper Rare Games - Developers & Publisherspublishmygame@superraregames.com The Criterion CollectionInternational Age Rating Coalition (IARC) - WikipediaStrong Museum of PlayThe Centre for Computing HistoryRyan BrownGuest "Head of Words" at Super Rare Games, Ryan has always worked in video games, whether writing for The Mirror and various outlets as a games journalist, running all things PR at Numskull, talking about hot gaming topics on BBC Radio, or serving on the BAFTA Games 2020 nominating panel. External link Twitter

Earlier this morning we were talking about the new toys that are being voted on to enter the Strong Museum's National Toy Hall of Fame and Corey mentioned how he doesn't plan on letting his kid win once they're old enough to start playing board games. Breezy thinks Corey is WAY too competitive and it's savage to not let your kids win. What do you think?

Find out what Play-Doh has to do with sooty walls. And how we have a nursery teacher called Kay Zufall and a TV presenter called Captain Kangaroo to thank for it.Our guest is Chris Bensch from the Strong Museum of Play, surely the world's funnest museum. Chris takes us for a jaunt down memory. Along the way we sniff deeply from a tub of everyone's favourite modelling compound.If you could spritz yourself with a Play-Doh scented perfume, would you?The episode was produced by Freddy Chick The editor was Anisha Deva The senior producer is Charlotte LongFor more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!You've been listening to a History Hit podcast. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out this survey with your feedback, we'd really appreciate it. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeremy Saucier of the Strong Museum of Play shares the history of pinball--from its origins in French parlor games, to its prohibition, and then to its emergence as the immersive and popular game that it is today. Liz Williams, founder of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, tells the story of whisky, bourbon, absinthe, and pink elephants... done Cajun style. Kelly and Donna Mulhollan tell the story of their friend Ed Stilley, a poor Ozarks farmer who managed to create some of the most inquisitive folk art guitars out of what he had laying around, in an effort to please God. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Time Codes: 00:00 - The Surprising Origin of Pinball 10:00 - The Stories Behind Whiskey, Bourbon, And More 35:00 - The Poor Farmer Who Created Folk Art Guitars to Please GodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we discuss the Rochester NY’s Strong Museum’s Video Game Hall of Fame! We talk who is in, who is getting in and who we would like to see get in. Also, whos gotten snubbed!Beers: Blackdog’s Whipped Peach Milkshake IPA [https://untappd.com/b/black-dog-brewing-company-whipped-peach-milkshake-ipa/4702838] and Burn ’em’s Red Dead Revelvet Stout. [https://untappd.com/b/burn-em-brewing-red-dead-revelvet/742505] The post Episode 254 – Video Game Hall of Fame appeared first on DrinkIN GeekOUT.

George Rollie Adams, author and President & CEO Emeritus of The Strong museum, sat down with Jim and Robyn to discuss his career, what is was like to grow up in the segregated south, and how his childhood and career influenced his writing. Learn more about his books and his remarkable path to becoming a novelist at PCL on Thursday, June 2nd at 7PM.

The one where... we discuss our picks for the Strong Museum of Play's 2022 World Video Game Hall of Fame! We chase ghosts in mazes, smash some bros., make a bear fly, and much more! Our Patron Page is BOOMING with new content. Unlock a ton of exclusive episodes including our episode-by-episode thoughts on The Book of Boba Fett and soon to be Moon Knight episodes! Click here for our Patreon, YouTube, charity donation pages... or grab this link: https://linktr.ee/Backinmyday For the latest and greatest on a daily basis, follow us on social media: @DayBackIn --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/backinmyday/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/backinmyday/support

Nintendo has a vast library of classic games that, for whatever reason, they choose hide away, seemingly forever. We take a look at what this means for the industry and for the preservation of gaming history! Seth introduces us to Habie147 on Youtube, and a listener asks us to title our sex tapes! Support the Strong Museum of Play! https://www.museumofplay.org/ Become a Galactonaut and choose a future topic! https://www.patreon.com/SpaceCastlePod Join the madness on our Discord! https://discord.gg/j4GAVZsJ Theme song "Deez Notes" by D.T. Carel and Brian Lovett. Indie Podcast Spotlight: Cee U Next Tuesday!

Alex sits down with Jon-Paul Dyson, from the Strong Museum of Play, to talk about their history, the logistics of a museum dedicated to play, and some highlights of their collection!

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeremy Saucier of the Strong Museum of Play shares the long, and surprising, history of pinball--from its origins in French parlor games, to its prohibition, and then to its emergence as the immersive and popular game that it is today. Adam Davis and Adam Johns met in grad school at Antioch University, and they've been using table-top games as a tool to encourage personal growth, teamwork, and problem solving. The late owner of the ABA's Utah Stars, Bill Daniels, shares why he paid back all of the bankrupt team's creditors… even though he had no legal obligation to do so. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Time Codes: 00:00 - From Bagatelle to Video Games: The History of Pinball 10:00 - These Guys Use Dungeons and Dragons as a Therapy Tool 35:00 - Ethics: Bill Daniels and the Utah Stars Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jeremy Saucier of the Strong Museum of Play shares the long, and surprising, history of pinball--from its origins in French parlor games, to its prohibition, and then to its emergence as the immersive and popular game that it is today; The History Guy shares how in 1984, during a period of Cold War tension, a Soviet submarine collided with a United States aircraft carrier; and Ric Mixter of Lake Fury tells the story of how the Edmund Fitzgerald was bigger than most with a crew and captain well seasoned...but how on November 10th, 1975, she and her 29 man crew were sent to the bottom of Lake Superior.  Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Time Codes: 00:00 - The History of Pinball 08:00 - The Day a Soviet Nuclear Attack Submarine Rammed an American Aircraft Carrier 18:00 - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.